Pressurized package



Nov. 29, 1960 J. E. AYRES 2,962,196

PRESSURIZED PACKAGE Filed May 28, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS Nov.29, 1960 J. E. AYRl-:s

PREssURIzED PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 28, 1957 INVENTOR i da/vE. YPES ATTORNEYS PRESSURIZED PACKAGE John E. Ayres, Mountainside, NJ.,assigner to Oil Equipment Laboratories, Incorporated, Elizabeth, NJ., acorporation of New Jersey Filed May 28, 1957, Ser. No. 662,117

6 Claims. (Cl. 222-399) The present invention relates to a pressurizedpackage and method of dispensing a commodity from a container bypressure. More particularly, the present invention relates to apressurized package and method of dispensing a commodity from acontainer by pressure of vapor from a propellant of the liquid-vaportype.

At the present time many commodities, such as shaving soap, cosmeticpreparations of various kinds, paints, insecticides, and the like, arewidely sold in containers from which the commodities are discharged bythe pressure from a propellant of the liquid-vapor type. Among thepropellants used for this purpose are the iluorochloromethanes andethanes or mixtures thereof which are known commercially as Freon, whichare maintained in liquid form at normal temperature (70 F.) by thepressure within the container, usually in the range of from 30 to 80pounds per square inch gauge. In such packages, the propellant in liquidform is in intimate contact with the commodity to be dispensed and as aresult, the propellant becomes admixed with the supply of the commodityin the container. Due to the mixture of the propellant and thecommodity, a certain amount of the propellant in liquid form isdischarged from the container with the commodity and expands to a vaporupon being discharged. For example, in dispensing soap from apressurized package, some of the propellant in liquid form is dischargedwith the soap and upon discharge, the expansion of the propellant causesthe foaming action.

The pressure within the container Will depend upon the characteristicsof the particular propellant. However, to maintain the amount ofpropellant required for proper operation of the container in liquidform, the pressure in a loaded container is generally'in theneighborhood of 40 to 50 lbs. per square inch gauge and because asubstantial amount of the propellant in the container is in liquid form,it is considered dangerous to use a container made from a material whichwill shatter, such as glass, in a pressurized package of this character.The reason for this is that if a loaded container made of shatterablematerial is dropped accidentally, the container is likely to explodewith pieces of the shatterable material being driven with considerablevelocity in all directions because of the tremendous amount of forcestored in even a small quantity of the propellant in liquid form.

According to the present invention, mixing of the propellant with thecommodity being dispensed is kept to a minimum and the container may bemade of glass or other frangible material with relatively little dangerto the user.

Among the objects of the present invention is the provision of apressurized package and a method of dispensing a commodity underpressure by which the danger of explosion is greatly reduced, thusmaking it possible to use a container of glass or other shatterablematerial. Another object of the invention is to provide a pressurizedpackage and a method ot dispensinga commodity under- States Patentpressure from a propellant of the liquid-vapor type in which thepropellant in liquid form does not come into intimate contact with thecommodity to be dispensed and hence does not become admixed with thecommodity in the container so that changes in the consistency or otherphysical characteristics of the commodity caused by the propellant arekept to a minimum which is desirable in the dispensing of commoditiessuch as toothpaste, hand creams, lotions, water based products and thelike. In such cases, the mixture of the propellant in liquid form withthe commodity would tend to diminish desired properties of thecommodity. In addition, it is possible in accordance withV the presentinvention to reduce the amount of propellant required for the properdischarge of a commodity from a pressurized package and thus, realize asubstantial saving in the packaging costs.

` Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentand best understood from the following description and the accompanyingdrawing in which:

Fig. l is a vertical section View of a pressurized package embodying theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section view of portions of the pressurized packageshown in Fig. l, but is on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 2a is a fragmentary section view illustrating a modification in thepackage shown in Figs. l and 2;

Fig. 3 is a vertical `section View of a modified form of pressurizedpackage embodying the invention;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section View illustrating a modification in thepackage shown in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a section View taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the package shown in Pig. 1illustrates a pressurized package which includes a container 10 with asupply C of a commodity to be dispensed therein. The container may bemade of glass or other shatterable material, but if desired, it may bemade of metal or other suitable material` The container has an vopeningin the top thereof which is closed by a cover or closure member 11 whichis secured to the container in the usual manner. The closure member hasa central discharge opening therein which communicates with the interiorof the container and a valve carried by the closure member controls thedischarge of the contents of the container through said opening. Thevalve includes a valve member 12 in the lform of a diaphragm of aresilient and stretchable material which has a solid central portion andan offset-` opening therein. The solid central portion normally engageswith flanges on the closure member and closes thek opening therein.

The valve member is held in place by a rim 13 of a cup-shaped couplingmember 14 which engages with the outer edges of the diaphragm and thesides of a recess A valve operating and dispensingunit 16 is mounted' onthe outside of the closure member. A discharge spout 1 17l formed aspart of a base portion 18 of the dispensing unit communicates with thevalve-controlled opening;

through a bore in the base portion. In addition, a manually operableplunger 19 is movably mounted in the bore in the base portion with itslower end in a position to `valve member when the plunger engage withthe depressed.

Such a valve and dispensing unit are more fully d 1 The coupling member14 extends downscribed and claimed in my copending application SerialNo. 315,052, filed October 16, 1952, entitled Valve Mechanism, nowPatent No. 2,805,003, dated September 3, 1957, and in my Patent No.2,752,066, dated June 26, 1956, for Combined Dispenser and ValveOperating Mechanism, respectively. Hence, a description of these partsneed not be repeated in detail here. It will also be understood thatother types of valves and dispenser caps may be used to control thedischarge of the contents of the container in accordance with thepresent invention.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a pair of spaced tubular members 20 and 21are concentrically arranged with respect to each other and are fitted attheir upper ends over the side walls of the coupling member and thecollar at the bottom thereof, respectively, The tubular members 20 and21 are made of a flexible plastic material which is permeable to apropellant in the form of a gas or vapor under pressure. Films made frommaterials such as polyethylene, nylon, tetrauoroethylene (Teflon) andvinyl polymers or copolymers are suitable for this purpose as suchmaterials are permeable to gas or vapor, but have relatively lowpermeability to the propellant in liquid form.

The lower ends of the spaced tubular members are joined together by heatsealing, molding or other suitable means. Thus, the space between thetubular members form a chamber in which a supply P of a suitablepropellant of the liquid-vapor type, such as the fluorochloromethanesand ethanes, known commercially as Freon, may be confined and maintainedin liquid form within the container without contacting or mixing withthe commodity to be dispensed. A retaining band 22 surrounds the outertubular member at the top thereof and holds the outer tubular memberseated against the sides of the coupling member despite pressure fromthe propellant in the chamber.

It will be noted that the interior of the inner tubular member 21 alsoforms a central passageway 23 communicating at its top end with thevalve in the valve-conmodity in the container until the vapor pressurein the i container and in the chamber equalizes. When pressure in theContainer falls below the pressure required to maintain the supply ofpropellant in the chamber in liquid form, some of the liquid propellantin the chamber will Vaporize and the propellant in the form of a vaporwill again pass through the plastic material from which the tubularmembers are formed into the space S in the container above thecommodity. Such a drop in pressure will ordinarily occur when the valvehas been opened and part of the commodity is discharged from thecontainer. However, when the pressure of the vapor in the container andin the chamber equalizes, vaporization of the supply of propellant inliquid form ceases until there is another drop of pressure in thecontainer.

Polyethylene has been found to be particularly suitable for forming thechamber in which the supply of propellant in liquid form is confinedsince it is permeable to the gas or vapor from the propellant, but isnot permeable to any extent to the liquid propellant. To obtain theproper transmission of the vapor, the tubular members may -be from .010to .020 inch in thickness. If the desired `permeability is not obtainedfrom the plastic material alone, a small insert 25 of a suitablematerial, Such as a `ceramic which will permit the passage of vapor morereadily than a liquid, may be placed in an opening in one of the tubularmembers, as shown in Fig. 2a.

In assembly, the tubular members 20 and 21 may be attached to thecoupling member 14 after the valve member and the coupling member havebeen put in place on the closure member. This assembly may then besecured to a container which has been filled with the desired amount ofthe commodity to be dispensed.

As shown in Figs. l and 2, one or more openings 26 are provided in theside of the coupling member opposite a portion of the outer tubularmember which is seated on the coupling member for the purpose of loadingthe chamber between the tubular members with the propellant in liquidform after the container has been assembled. The outer tubular membernormally closes the openings 26 in the side of the coupling member.However, the resilient valve member 12 may be depressed by an adapter ona filling machine (not shown) to a position where the valve memberblocks the opening in the bottom of the coupling member so that whenpropellant in liquid form is forced through the valve controlled openingunder pressure, the outer tubular mem her is forced away from theopenings in the side of the coupling member and thus, the propellant canpass into the supply chamber through the openings. When the valve memberreturns to its initial position, the outer tubular member again closesthe openings in the side of the coupling member. Apparatus suitable forlilling the chamber with liquid propellant in this manner is shown in mycopending application S.N. 428,449, filed May l0, 1954, for Method andApparatus for Loading Pressurized Containers, now Patent No. 2,857,937,dated October 28, 1958. However, it will be understood that the chambermay be filled with propellant in liquid form in any suitable manner.

When the container has been filled with the commodity to be dispensedand the chamber formed by the tubular members contains a supply ofpropellant in liquid form, the package is ready for use. Under theseconditions, vapor from the supply of liquid propellant in the chamberiills the space S in the container above the commodity and when thevalve member is depressed, the pressure of the vapor forces thecommodity through the passageway formed by the inner tubular member tothe valve-controlled opening and through the discharge spout when thevalve is opened. The discharge of the commodity will cause a drop ofpressure in the container and as a result, vapor from the supply ofliquid propellant in the chamber will pass into the container until thepressure in the container and the pressure in the chamber equalize. Whenthis occurs, further vaporization of the supply of propellant in liquidform ceases and the remainder of the supply is maintained as a liquid.

Since the supply of propellant in liquid form is confined in the chamberbetween the tubular members, it does not come in contact with thecommodity in the container or become mixed therewith. Hence, the liquidpropellant does not dilute the commodity or change the characteristicsof the commodity as it is discharged from the container. In addition,the fact that propellant in liquid form is not `discharged from thecontainer with the commodity makes it possible to obtain satisfactoryoperation of the package with less propellant than would otherwise bethe case.

If the container is shaken by the user so that some of the propellant inthe form of vapor becomes mixed with the commodity in the container, thesmall amount of the propellant in the form of vapor which might bedischarged with the commodity, dbes not materially alect or change thephysical properties of the commodity. Even if the container should beturned upside down and the valve opened, the supply of liquid propellantwill not be discharged from the container and render the packageinoperative as is often the case when the propellant in the container islin liquid form.

By conlining the supply of propellant in liquid form within the chamberformed by the tubular members, the energy stored in the liquidpropellant will have no appreciable effect in case a container made ofshatterable material is dropped accidentally. In such event, vapor orgas from the propellant in the chamber will gradually pass out of thechamber until the supply of the propellant has vaporized. This makes itreasonably safe to use glass or other shatterable material in acontainer for a pressurized package.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 3, the supply of liquidpropellant is confined in a sepa-rate pellet or receptacle 27. Such apellet may be placed inside of the container -at the time the containeris filled with the commodity and in general, the operation will be thesame `as previously described. In this case, the pellet 27 may be madefrom -a tube of plastic material, such as polyethylene, which ispermeable to the vapor from the propellant. The ends of the tube areclosed by heat sealing or other suitable means. If desired, ya ceramicinsert may be placed in the side of the pellet, as previously described.

The container shown in Fig. 3 is made of metal. In this package, adispenser cap 28 is mounted on the top of a plunger operated valve 29which controls the discharge of a commodity from the container and asiphon tube 30 is connected to the bottom of the valve. These areconventional components `and need not be described in detail here.

Satisfactory operation may also be obtained by providing a small outlet31 in the sides of the member 27 forming the chamber in which the liquidpropellant is confined. ISuch an outlet should be very small, say, from.015 to .025 inch in diameter and the container should not be placed inan inverted position for -any length of time to avoid bleeding of theliquid propellant into the commodity in the container.

It will also be understood that various modificatons may be made inpracticing the invention and in the embodiments of the invention shownand described herein without departing from the scope of the inventionas defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a package for `dispensing a commodity from -a container underpressure from a Vapor through a valvecontrolled opening in thecontainer, which comprises, a container having an opening therein and avalve controlling said opening, said container having a supply of acommodity therein, a pair of spaced members located in said container,said members being formed of a plastic material which is permeable tovapor from a propellant of the liquid-vapor type and comprising an outermember and an inner member having their ends joined together to form achamber therebetween, a supply ofthe propellant of the liquid-vapor typeconfined within said chamber, said propellant initially being underpressure sucient to maintain `a major portion thereof in liquid form atnormal temperatures, said inner member having an opening extendingtherethrough and forming a passageway communicatng with theValve-controlled opening in the container.

2. In a package for dispensing a commodity from a container underpressure from a Vapor through Ia valvecontrolled opening in thecontainer, which comprises, a container having a valve-controlledopening therein and containing a supply of a commodity, a couplingmember having an opening therein communicating with the valvecontrolledopening in the container and a pair of tubular members connected to thecoupling member at their upper end, said tubular members being arrangedin spaced relation to each other with one member inside of the othermember and being sealed together `at their lower ends to form a separatechamber in the container for receiving a supply of a propellant of theliquid-vapor type in liquid form, at least one of said tubular membersbeing formed from a material which is permeable to vapor from the supplyof liquid propellant, said inner tubular member also forming apassageway communicating with the opening in the coupling member and thebottom of the container.

3. In a package for dispensing a commodity from a container as definedin claim 2 wherein the coupling member has an opening therein locatedopposite the outer tubular member and normally being closed thereby.

4. In a package for dispensing a commodity from a container as definedin claim 2 wherein the container is made of a shatterable material.

5. In a package for dispensing a commodity from a container as definedin claim 2 wherein the outer tubular member has an insert of avapor-permeable material located in an opening therein.

6. In a package for dispensing a commodity as dened in claim 2 whereinone of the tubular members is made from a thin film of plastic materialselected from the group comprising polyethylene, nylon,tetrailuoroethylene and vinyl polymers.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 20,382Wheeler e May 25, 1858 695,323 Mittinger Mar. 11, 1902 2,016,407 WentzelOct. 8, 1935 2,246,594 Kinsella June 24, 21941 2,643,791 Kollsman June30, :1953 2,719,628 Ivanof Oct. 4, 1955 2,752,036 i; Parkhurst June 26,1956 2,794,579 McKernan June 4, 1957

